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LOCAL Monday 25 March 2024

The Aruba Tourism Authority honor loyal visitors on the island.

Recently, Ms. Marouska Heyliger had the great
pleasure to honor a Loyal and friendly visitors of
Aruba at their home away from home.

The honorees:
Stephen Prizio as Goodwill Ambassador from
Massachusetts
Margaret A Johnson as Emerald Ambassador
from Massachusetts

The symbolic honorary title is presented on
behalf of the Minister of Tourism, as a token of
appreciation to the guests who visit Aruba be-
tween 10-20-35 and more consecutive years.

Ms. Marouska Heyliger thanked them for choos-
ing Aruba as their vacation destination and as
their home away from home for so many years
together with the members of Divi Aruba All in-
clusive

Top reason for returning provided by the hon-
orees were:
Beautiful beaches, beautiful weather and safe-
ty of the islandq

Alto Vista chapel and its link to Aruba’s origins

According to Etnia Nativa, of corn rods, which would cred native place, with the It is not certain, but it is be-
in the 18th century most of serve as a place of prayer. According to the book, custom of arriving in pro- lieved that the two graves
the inhabitants of Aruba In 1750 it was blessed by Fa- The History of Alto Vista by cession to Alto Vista. belong to Antonio Silvester
were indigenous who lived ther Algamesi who came R.H. Nooyen, it is not known and Miguel Alvares, ac-
on the north coast, one of from Coro-Venezuela and when Domingo Antonio Sil- Two-hundred years after cording to Nooyen. About
the largest communities appointed Domingo Anto- vester came to Aruba from the beautiful time of Alto 50 meters near the chapel
lived in Alto Vista. nio Silvester as the island’s Venezuela. The elders be- Vista, people can no lon- there are still the markings
first prosecutor in the name lieve Antonio was a Span- ger see much of the town of an old house, where
As they were very religious, of the Spanish crown and iard. In 1780, father Joseph of Alto Vista from 1750. With Antonio and Bernardino
they had a chief with the Rome. In 1752 the prosecu- Antonio de la Vegal called a lot of work they found Silvester would have lived.
name of Antonio Silvester tion passed into the hands Bernardino Silvester, one of the old foundations of the About 200 meters from the
who guided them in the of Antonio Silvester’s son- Antonio’s sons with his wife Church of the Queen of chapel there is a water
Christian life and it was he in-law, Miguel Álvarez, who Anna Cathalina Tromp, the Holiest Rosary to build tank which the locals call
who decided to build a continued to guide the pa- “neighbors and naturals of a new chapel on the same Tanki Cacique. In the past
stone chapel with a roof rishioners in their prayers. the island Aruba” and thus place. The entire surround- this tank was closed. But
they became natives. ing area was empty and mostly water was brought
desolated, making it hard out from the Poz di Noord,
At the end of the eighteen to imagine that Alto Vista a well dug in the sand.
century many inhabitants was a town at all. A hun-
the island died as a result of dred years later, people The chapel can be viewed
the black fever epidemic can see the remains of from basically any point in
and since people believed around twenty houses, the north side, even from
that the Alto Vista area was some made of stone and Paradera and Sero Plat.
the most infected, they be- others of clay. Nowadays, All the historical remains
gan to build their homes only around six of these around the chapel provide
further south within the houses remain. us with an idea on how the
Noord area, so the town of old people of Alto Vista
Noord began to grow into South of the chapel in the used to live. Don’t miss the
a community till getting its yard two graves can be opportunity to visit a place
own Church. However re- observed, there was the of historical significance
ligious festivals continued cemetery which father with a window to Aruba’s
to be celebrated at this sa- Pablo de Algemesi blessed. past.q